Slide fastener



June 30, 1970 j K. w. UHRIG 3,517,422

SLIDE FASTENER Filed 001;. 31, 1967 :3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR KQRLUILHELH Lil-(RIG United States Patent Int. (:1. A44b 19/34, 19/10 U.S.C]. 24--205.1 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A slide fastenerstringer consisting of a band of textile material having a longitudinalrow of openings and a spiral or meander of nylon wire whose turnsconstitute the interlockable elements of the stringer is assembled bypartly pushing each wire turn through an associated opening in the band,folding the narrower portion of the band on one side of the row ofopenings against the interlockable elements, and fastening respectiveface portions of the elements and of the narrower tape portion to eachother by means of an adhesive, by welding, if both are thermoplastic, orby embedding the textile material in the thermally softened elements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This application is a continuatiomin-part ofmy copending application Ser. No. 536,073, filed on Mar. 21, 1966, nowPat. No. 3,409,952, issued on Nov. 12', 1968.

This invention relates to slide fasteners, and particularly to a slidefastener in which the interlockable elements on each stringer consist ofintegral portions of a unitary spiral or meander made from plastic wireand are mounted on a carrier tape.

It has been disclosed in the afore-mentioned application that eachstringer of a slide fastener chain may consist of a band-shaped carrier,hereinafter referred to as a tape, which is formed with a row of spacedopenings. Respective portions of a unitary element, such as a spiral ormeander are engaged in the openings to constitute the heads and legs ofthe interlockable elements. Means were disclosed in my earlierapplication for preventing escape of the heads from the associated tapeopenings.

It has now been found that the field of application of theafore-described fasteners is limited by the anchorage of the elements tothe carrier tape, and that the fasteners disclosed in my earlierapplication are suitable only for relatively light duty.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a stronganchorage for the interlockable elements on the associated tape.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect, the instant invention resides ina slide fastener of the afore-described type in which each tape isformed with a longitudinal row of openings dividing the tape into afirst portion remote from the other tape and a second portion adjacentthe other tape, and carries a row of integrally connected interlockableelements, which longitudinally extends on the tape in engagement withthe openings. The elements project from the first tape portion of theassociated tape toward the other tape and the interlockable elements onthe same. According to the instant invention, the afore-mentioned secondportion of each tape is fixedly and permanently secured by fasteningmeans to the interlockable elements of the associated row.

A layer of adhesive may be interposed between each interlockable elementand the second tape portion for this 3,517,422 Patented June 30, 1970ice purpose. Yarns of the tape may consist wholly or partly ofthermoplastic synthetic resin composition and be fastened to theinterlockable elements of thermoplastic, synthetic resin composition bywelds.

Other features, additional objects, and many of the attendant advantagesof this invention will readily become apparent from the followingdescription of preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction withthe ap pended drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows a slide fastener chain of the invention in fragmentarytransverse section;

FIG. 2 shows a stringer of another fastener of the invention intransverse section;

FIG. 3 shows a fastening station of apparatus for making slide fastenersof the invention in front elevational section on the line III--III inFIG. 4;

FIG. 4 shows the station of FIG. 3 in plan view;

FIG. 5 illustrates a detail of the fastening station of FIGS. 4 and 5 infragmentary side elevation, and partly in section; and

FIG. 6 shows a portion of another fastening station in a viewcorresponding to that of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawing indetail, and initially to FIG. 1, there is seen a slider fastener chainof the invention consisting of two rows of interlocked elements 1 madefrom nylon wire spirals, somewhat deformed in a known manner toconstitute the slide fastener elements, and two woven carrier tapes 2.

A longitudinal row of openings 1a divides a narrow edge portion 3 fromthe remainder of each tape 2, and the portion of each spiral turn, whichconstitutes the head and most of the legs of each fastener element 1,passes through an associated opening 1a toward the other fastenerelement for locking engagement with the same. The fastener of FIG. 1described so far is known from my above-mentioned copending application.

The edge portion 3 of each tape is folded over the connecting part ofeach interlocking element toward the major portion of the tape, and alayer 4 of adhesive interposed between opposite face parts of the edgeportion 3 and of the nylon wire, which constitutes the fastener elements1, holds the tape portions 3 in the illustrated position, therebylocking the elements 1 to the tape 2, and preventing separation underrelatively heavy transverse stresses. The illustrated fastener may beused where the fastener of my earlier application would fail in crosspull.

The fastener partly illustrated in FIG. 2 differs from that shown inFIG. 1 mainly in the position of the edge portion 3a of the tape 3 whichis pivoted toward the head portions of the fastener elements 1 andsecured to the outer faces of the leg portions by an adhesive layer 4.In the modified fastener of FIG. 2, the leg portions of the fastenerelements 1 are covered on one side of the fastener which normally facesoutward of a garment to which the fastener is sewn in the usual manner.Only the interlocking heads are exposed.

When the fastener shown in FIG. 2 is subjected to transverse stresses,the legs of the interlocked elements 1 transmit the stresses directly tothe tape edge portion 3a through the adhesive layer 4, and the elements1 do not tend to enlarge the openings in the tape under such transversestresses.

While the fasteners shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 rely on adhesives forfastening the tape edge portions 3, 3a to the interlockable elements 1,a closely analogous direct bond between the tape edge portion and theinterlockable elements may also be produced by heat sealing. Apparatussuitable for heat sealing is shown in FIGS. 3 to 5.

A common support 15 carries two insulators 7 and a sealing and pressingstand 5. A partly assembled slide fastener with its elements 1 engagedin the openings of two tapes 2 and interlocked in a conventional manneris pulled through the fasteing station shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 from otherassembly stations, not themselves relevant to this invention, bynon-illustrated pull rolls, as indicated by arrows.

As is best seen in FIG. 3, the edge portions 3 of the tapes 2 areapproximately perpendicular to the main portions of the tapes when thefasteners enter the fastening station. The free edges of the tapeportions 3 project up- Wardly beyond the interlocked elements 1. A loop6 of copper wire extends from each transformer 7 toward the upstandingtape portions 3 and the connecting portions of the elements 1. A heatingportion 8 of each wire loop 6 is parallel to the direction of fastenerchain travel closely adjacent the associated tape portion 3 and row ofelements 1.

A folding die 9 mounted on the pressing and cooling stand 5 receives thetape portions 3 immediately after they pass the heating wires 8 to foldthe heated tape portion over the heated part of the interlockingelements. The configuration of the edge 9a of the die 9 is best seen inFIG. 5. The aperture in the stand 5 tapers in the direction of fastenerchain travel so that the edge portion 3 is firmly pressed against thefastener elements 1 while the partly assembled fastener passes the stand5 and is cooled by contact with the metallic surfaces of the stand.

The apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5 provides a heat seal betweenthe abuttingly engaged faces of the elements 1 and of the tape edgeportions 3 if at least one of the opposing faces consists ofthermoplastic material and is heated beyond its softening point by theheat radiated from the heating portions 8 of the wire loops 6.

If the tape edge portion 3 consists of cotton interwoven with a few thinnylon yarns, and the fastener elements 1 consist of post-formed nylonwire, an effective Welded bond between the nylon yarn in the tape 2 andthe nylon elements 1 is produced by heating both beyond their softeningtemperature and pressing them against each other in the stand 5 beforethey again harden. The heating time is short enough to avoid significantdegradation of the cotton in the tape.

If the tape consists entirely of cotton, the cotton threads are partlyembedded in the softened nylon of the fastener elements 1 underpressure, and are held in fixed engagement with the elements ofthermoplastic material after the same has hardened upon cooling.

While the apparatus of FIGS. 3 to 5 shows the formation of a fastener inwhich the tape edge portion 3 is folded back on the main portion of thetape 2 in the manner of FIG. 1, the illustrated apparatus may bemodified in an obvious manner by relocating the heating wire portions 8and the folding die 9 to pivot the tape edge toward the heads of thefastener elements, as illustrated in FIG. 2'.

FIG. 6 shows as much of an apparatus for adhesively securing the tapeedge portions to the interlockable elements of a fastener chain as isneeded for an understanding of the modified device, the apparatus ofFIG. 6 being identical in all non-illustrated features with that shownin FIGS. 3-5.

A supply tank 10, shown on a reduced scale in FIG. 6

for the convenience of pictorial representation, is mounted on each sideof the moving fastener chain. An obliquely downwardly directed feed pipe12 on each tank 10 terminates in a nozzle 11 from which a liquidadhesive composition is discharged toward the faces of the tape portion3 and of the fastener elements 1 which are superposed in the finishedfastener partly shown in FIG. 1 so that at least one of the faces iscoated with a film of adhesive when the tape edge portion is folded overin the manner illustrated in FIG. 5 and pressed against the elements 1while travelling through the stand 5. The finished slide fastener chainis pulled from the apparatus by a driven pull roll 16.

When ultimately air cooled, the product obtained is identical with thatshown in FIG. 1. The minor modifica tions of the apparatus of FIG. 6necessary for producing the fastener partly illustrated in FIG. 2 willbe obvious to those skilled in the art.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosurerelates only to preferred embodiments of the invention, and that manychanges and modifications may be made in the examples of the inventionherein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do not constitutedepartures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a slide fastener essentially consisting of two juxtaposed,elongated carrier tapes, each tape being formed with a longitudinal rowof openings dividing said tape into a first portion remote from theother tape and a second portion adjacent the other tape, a row ofintegrally connected interlockable elements longitudinally extending oneach tape in engagement with said openings and projecting from the firstportion of the associated tape toward the other tape and theinterlockable elements on the same, the improvement which comprises:

(a) fastening means permanently and fixedly securing said second portionof each tape to the interlockable elements of the associated row.

2. In a slide fastener as set forth in claim 1, said fastening meansincluding a layer of adhesive interposed be tween each element of saidassociated row and said second tape portion.

3. In a slide fastener as set forth in claim 1, said second tape portionincluding a plurality of yarns, at least one of said yarns and saidinterlockable elements essentially consisting of thermoplastic syntheticresin composition, said one yarn being integrally welded to saidinterlockable elements and the weld constituting said fastening means.

4. In a slide fastener as set forth in claim 2., said interlockableelements consisting of thermoplastic synthetic resin composition and apart of said second tape portion being embedded in elements in lockingengagement.

5. In a slide fastener as set forth in claim 1, said fastening meansbeing interposed between said elements of the associated row and saidsecond tape portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,557,303 10/ 1925 Marinsky.2,145,552 1/1939 Marinsky 24-205.1 2,497,821 2/ 1950 Kohler. 3,103,728'9/ 1963 Wahl. 3,136,016 6/1964 Firing. 3,389,441 6/ 1968 Heimberger.

FOREIGN PATENTS 515,647 2/ 1955 Italy.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary'Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 24205 1 6

